Pride and Prejudice and Emma

by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of the British Regency. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman, Mr Bennet, living in Longbourn. The novel is set in England in the early 19th century and tells the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters after two gentlemen have moved into their neighbourhood: the rich and eligible Mr Bingley, and his status-conscious friend, the even richer and more eligible Mr Darcy. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy is disdainful of local society and repeatedly clashes with the Bennets' lively second daughter, Elizabeth. Emma (novel) Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively comedy of manners among her characters. Before she began the novel, Austen wrote, "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." In the first sentence, she introduces the title character as "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich." Emma is spoiled, headstrong, and self-satisfied; she greatly overestimates her own matchmaking abilities; she is blind to the dangers of meddling in other people's lives; and her imagination and perceptions often lead her astray.

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Jane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment upon the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage for the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works are an implicit critique of the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. Her deft use of social commentary, realism and biting irony have earned her acclaim among critics and scholars.

The anonymously published Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816), were a modest success but brought her little fame in her lifetime. She wrote two other novels—Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1817—and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, but died before its completion. She also left behind three volumes of juvenile writings in manuscript, the short epistolary novel Lady Susan, and the unfinished novel The Watsons.
Since her death Austen's novels have rarely been out of print. A significant transition in her reputation occurred in 1833, when they were republished in Richard Bentley's Standard Novels series (illustrated by Ferdinand Pickering and sold as a set). They gradually gained wide acclaim and popular readership. In 1869, fifty-two years after her death, her nephew's publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced a compelling version of her writing career and supposedly uneventful life to an eager audience. Her work has inspired a large number of critical essays and has been included in many literary anthologies. Her novels have also inspired many films, including 1940's Pride and Prejudice, 1995's Sense and Sensibility and 2016's Love & Friendship.

Reviews

[⭐️Aisha☂️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

AAAAHHHH this was such an exciting book to read! An excellent comedy of manners that taught me so much about the Regency period and its intricate traditions.

I can't believe that I have been putting off this book for ages - It deserves all the praise that it gets! The lighthearted sarcasm in which the story is written makes for an entertaining critique of Austen's society.

I really enjoyed the abundance of characters and how each storyline ends up being interwoven into a big braid of events.

I just wish we could have experienced more interaction and dialogue between the two principal characters, as I was left longing for MORE

Will definitely be watching the movie adaptation to fill in these small gaps, however, this book turned out to be very dear to me and I will certainly be attached to it for a long time.

🌲👗💍💌🖋📖🏡💄👞

[Toad Soup · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS SO SEXY!!! 10/10 sexiest books in the world, I get why everyone loves Darcy but her dad??? Mama Mia… if I were Mrs. Bennet, I’d be hiding that one…

[Jessica Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn’t tell you what I just read. I zoned out like 95% of this book. I started off into it but it just slowly became static to my brain. I’m not focused enough for this sort of literature.

[JoReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read four books by Jane Austen, I have to say that Emma is my favourite so far, I love Pride and Prejudice but I think because I know the plot so well that Emma was much more enjoyable. I think that a character list would help Jane's books alot as there are so many and sometimes they are referred to either their first or last name. And I have to confess that I got the brothers mixed up at first, as they both were Mr. Knightley.

[Clara Tessier · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely, nothing crazy, but classic.

[Raluca]

Sooo nice :) 2 beautiful books...good stories, love stories, charactrs... :) aww